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7/22/11

She's A Keeper...I'm A Keeper...We Are Keeper's

OF IT ALL....

My Aunt Irene passed the 'Keeper of Family History' to me many years ago when she learned I was interested in our Family Geneology. Irene was my Daddy's oldest sister and I thought her quite eccentric. You see she lived in California and was a recycler before 'GoingGreen' had even hit the EcoMinds of today.

I remember my Daddy receiving her letters in large manilla envelopes with marked out magazine return addresses and Irene's California address written under them. If I was the one who went to the Post Office and one of her 'Novels' had come, I got to give the PostMistress the card and sign for the too big envelope to fit in our box. How Eccentric!!!!

The letter was a 'Time Capsule' with a page or two written one day, another paragraph or two a day later, and a month later....signed and mailed. Her letters were a combination of hand written and typed pages on the backs of homework notebook paper or junk mail. How Eccentric!!!!

Of course back then we didn't call it 'Junk Mail'. Mail from Sears and Roebuck, JC Penny and all Bills were read and re-read then filed in the Letter Keeper next to the black Rotary Phone.

I know, you are eyeing this photo and thinking, "Who 'Keeps' this stuff???". My Mother!!! She's a 'Keeper', too.

Yep, it's the envelopes from Irene with her collection of stamps. These from December 1980 when it cost 67 cents to send a Novela, and March 1985 when 'Domestic Mail' stamps were priceless. Even more priceless to me is the figuring my Dad did on his sisters envelope....he was a recycler, too! How Eccentric!!!

My grandmother wrote on anything she could find space to write on. I think it comes from living through the depression. I even find myself cutting up paper from envelopes to make scrap note pads. It must have rubbed off. Plus my mother saved every card, letter, newspaper and recipe clipping she liked. And all our report cards. ~Ames

Hi Sue, my family are definitely keepers. I still have my prom dress. Your Aunt was just being thrifty and that was a good thing. Exccentric of the old days is amusing but people were 'smarter' about living 'green' ahead of their time. My Aunt was a millionaire and saved scraps of foil and everything that might possibly be used again. How exccentric in a very smart way when we consider the waste that goes on today. I loved your photos and stories of the days long ago. It makes us think about being more of a saver of things we just might use again. I never throw tissue paper away and I can tell you it has come in handy many times. I have a bit of my Aunt in me and I am grateful for her sweet keeper life. Smile.

such a pleasantly amusing post; I am the crazy aunt in our family and always mailing little notes on the back of bits of paper, re-using envelopes and boxes. I have a friend who will send me something in the same box I just sent her; we've been doing so for years.so glad you're a keeper...world needs more, I just posted something similar, tied in with people making choices to be so dang busy!